I live on a tiny island called Alert Bay with a population of 1600. The easiest way off the island is the ferry. I got pierced in Port Hardy. I've been interested in piercings since about April. It started when Amanda, Rachael, my mom and me were going to Vancouver. Amanda and me were fucking bored so we started talking and the subject piercings came up. Amanda was in grade 8 at the time and she's wanted her lip pierced for a couple years. When we got to Vancouver we went to the girlie accessories store Claire's and bought fake lip rings to freak my mom out. Since then I've wanted my lip pierced. Before that I never really paid attention to piercings. I knew you could have piercings other than ears but it never really interested me. In the summer I kept bugging my mom about a piercing. I had had my ears pierced a few times with an evil gun but that was it. My mom eventually gave in to my eyebrow.
At A Glance Author no one Contact no one@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Guillaume Location BC August 28th, 2003
I start bugging my mom and telling her I want my eyebrow pierced before school starts. She talks to her boyfriend Roy who has a friend who is a professional piercer. At the time I didn't know when I was getting my eyebrow pierced but I knew it was soon.
August 30th, 2003
I come home at 10 with Amanda and my mom tells me I'm getting my eyebrow pierced the next day! I was so excited, I could hardly speak. For the rest of the night I was laughing nervously at everything 'cause it was my first real piercing. Wimpy ears done with a gun don't count. I think Amanda was a little jealous because she had wanted a piercing longer than I had and I was getting a piercing before her. But we're still best friends so it couldn't have been a lot of jealousy. I barely slept that night because I was so excited. I told myself it would come faster if I went to sleep sooner. At about 2:30 am I fell asleep.
August 31st, 2003
After a crappy night of sleep I woke up at 10. At about 12 I realized I was getting my eyebrow pierced. I actually didn't think much of it at first but when my mom said we were leaving on the 3:15 ferry all the nervousness came back. I asked my mom if I could bring Amanda but we couldn't but at least I was finally getting my eyebrow pierced. The ferry was actually on time so we left at 3:15 and got into Port McNeill at 4. To get to Port Hardy from Port McNeill you have to drive for about 50 minutes. When we were in Port McNeill we phoned Guillaume (the piercer) and made sure we were supposed to be there at 6. Now Guillaume is a professional piercer but this piercing was not being performed at a studio. Guillaume and his wife Carolyn had a piercing studio but they closed it because Carolyn didn't want to do tattooing and piercing as her job. We went to the drug store, ate and went to the gas station. Before we knew it, it was 5 and time to get on the high way. On the high way I was extremely nervous so I was laughing nervously again and biting my nails. The sun was shining and the scenery was nice, but I didn't give a crap about that 'cause I was the most nervous I've ever been in my life!
We were stopped 'cause some people were doing something to the road. I was annoyed because I just wanted the piercing to be over with! I didn't want anything more than that damn piercing! After about 5 minutes of sitting there we were moving again. We got to Guillaume's at 6:03. Guillaume's place was in a trailer park, it wasn't dirty, and it was damn clean. In his trailer it was SO clean. Fortunately it didn't smell like a doctor's office 'cause I absolutely hate the smell of hospitals and doctor's offices. We talked and did the piercing. Clean, forceps, needle, barbell, clean, pay. That was it. Nothing big, I won't lie, it did hurt. The pain was just pressure and a burning sensation. Guillaume gave me an aftercare sheet and I was on my way. The curved 3/8 16-gauge barbell with a spike on each end was beautiful. I love my eyebrow as much as I did that first hour I had it pierced.
Aftercare as simple but sounded a little weird. I was to apply this ointment stuff twice a day with a q-tip and then bioseptic for 5 days. After those five days I was just supposed to use the bioseptic twice a day for 10 days. After those 10 days I was to use the bioseptic once a day for 3 weeks. I was also supposed to use unscented soap in the shower. I didn't use the bioseptic for the 3 weeks because I didn't think I needed it anymore.
In October I would always find crusty things on the top hole around the barbell. It pissed me off so I would usually pick it off with my nail. I don't think that was such a good idea. Sometimes when I push the barbell up white stuff comes out. It's gross but my friend says it's just discharge, he better be right. A couple times I would take the barbell out and it wouldn't go back in. That freaked me out. I've only changed the barbell once to a curved surgical steel 16-gauge barbell with black spikes on the ends. One day I lost one spike so Amanda gave me a tiny silver ball. I think it looks great. Most people say that it "accents my eyes" or it "accents my facial features". I just think it looks like it belongs there. Everyday when I look in the mirror I don't think I'm the ugly person I thought I was before. I just look at my eyebrow and think of what I went through to get it like that. And no, I'm not getting all emotional on you. I didn't believe body modification could m ake someone feel good about them, but now I know it can. Right now I'm working on my mom for a second eyebrow ring or a lip ring next year. Hopefully she'll give in.
December 5th, 2003
I no longer have my eyebrow pierced. A barbell and two tiny scars are all I'm left with. I had to take it out because I was playing with it one day and I decided to take the barbell out. I couldn't get the barbell back in, no matter what I did. So now it's gone and I'm going to get my right eyebrow pierced twice soon.